Nursing. I have milk and a baby willing to suck -- two things I never had during my 4-month trial (and failure) with Hila. My nipples aren't even that sore.
And yet...
Eh. I'm not loving it. I miss the 3-4 hours schedule that you can immediately implement when you're using formula. I don't like having leaky boobs and having to wear nursing pads all day, every day. I don't like feeling like I can't go out because maybe (definitely) the baby will need to eat and I'll have to sit on a park bench or in a restaurant for an hour trying to feed her without exposing myself. I don't like feeding every hour, maybe two hours, maybe even three hours at night, but most probably 30 minutes (during teh day). I don't like feeling insecure that Meira isn't getting enough to eat since there's no way to measure what she gets in a single sitting.
I've already given in and feed her one bottle of formula at night -- and oh how I look forward to it!
But it really does seem like a shame to quit when things are actually working out, especially after my struggle last time. And it's not like I have much else to do during these next few weeks...
I am going to take this one day at a time.
Meanwhile, in an effort to make sure Hila doesn't try and give Meira food or drink or any sort, we're had the following conversation a few times:
Me: "Hila, can babies eat pizza?" (or whatever we're eating at the time)
Hila: (laughing) "No!"
Me: "What do babies eat?"
Hila: "Only mommy's boobies. Only boobies."
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Welcome to the world, Meira Aviv!
Last week on Saturday, May 14, 2011, we welcomed little baby girl, Meira Aviv, into the world, and since then, she has transitioned into our family and into our lives beautifully.
No offense to our very special big girl Hila, but WOW -- I had no idea that newborns could be so quiet, easy going, and patient. We are truly blessed to have a new baby in the house who doesn't disrupt the calm and relative quiet that we've worked hard to maintain while raising our first child.
Of course, the smooth sailing can't wholly be attributed to Meira. Hila has already proven to be an amazing big sister. She's quiet and gentle around Meira, understands that certain things (toys, pacifiers, swings) belong to Meira ("only Meira"), and is extremely proud to show off her baby sister to any visitors who stop by. Meira is the first person she wants to say goodnight to before bed and good morning to when she wakes up. She's even patient during the long hours that Meira spends in my lap during her never ending nursing sessions (see next post).
People assured me that a second birth would be easier and shorter than the first. In terms of timing, Meira's birth followed a very similar timeline to Hila's (about 12 hours -- 8 hours until the epidural). In terms of intensity and pain, I think it was pretty similar as well. But one thing is certain -- this birth was not traumatic. I knew what to expect, knew that the pain was unimaginable, and knew that it was all normal. After reading the book Hypnobirthing and preparing with our AMAZING doula, Julia Mannes, I really internalized the idea that much of the pain and trauma of childbirth is connected to fear. Did these contractions kill? Yes, just like before. But I wasn't scared, had strong support around me (Menachem, Julia, and an excellent midwife) and so I kept my cool (sorta) and had a relatively calm birth.
And yes, of course I had an epidural. Anyone who doesn't is just silly.
We love you Meira!
No offense to our very special big girl Hila, but WOW -- I had no idea that newborns could be so quiet, easy going, and patient. We are truly blessed to have a new baby in the house who doesn't disrupt the calm and relative quiet that we've worked hard to maintain while raising our first child.
Of course, the smooth sailing can't wholly be attributed to Meira. Hila has already proven to be an amazing big sister. She's quiet and gentle around Meira, understands that certain things (toys, pacifiers, swings) belong to Meira ("only Meira"), and is extremely proud to show off her baby sister to any visitors who stop by. Meira is the first person she wants to say goodnight to before bed and good morning to when she wakes up. She's even patient during the long hours that Meira spends in my lap during her never ending nursing sessions (see next post).
People assured me that a second birth would be easier and shorter than the first. In terms of timing, Meira's birth followed a very similar timeline to Hila's (about 12 hours -- 8 hours until the epidural). In terms of intensity and pain, I think it was pretty similar as well. But one thing is certain -- this birth was not traumatic. I knew what to expect, knew that the pain was unimaginable, and knew that it was all normal. After reading the book Hypnobirthing and preparing with our AMAZING doula, Julia Mannes, I really internalized the idea that much of the pain and trauma of childbirth is connected to fear. Did these contractions kill? Yes, just like before. But I wasn't scared, had strong support around me (Menachem, Julia, and an excellent midwife) and so I kept my cool (sorta) and had a relatively calm birth.
And yes, of course I had an epidural. Anyone who doesn't is just silly.
We love you Meira!
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